EU leaders simply noted their concern, calling for respect of the rule of law and the separation of powers and saying they would watch and wait.

At stake is a plan to reform Turkey’s top judicial body, the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), the latest chapter in a weeks-long political crisis triggered by a massive corruption investigation that has ensnared key Erdogan allies.

“The judiciary should not go beyond its defined mission and mandate. This is what we’re doing. Anything else is misinformation and disinformation,” Erdogan said at a news conference.

“Certain recommendations have been made by our European friends and we have taken them into account,” the premier added after what was described by all sides as “a lively debate” on the draft judicial reform legislation with European lawmakers.

“Other modifications possibly will be made,” he added. “But the law must come into force as quickly as possible.”

Erdogan’s response to the graft probe — purging police and prosecutors — has set alarm bells ringing on the state of democracy in Turkey and raised concerns in the EU and elsewhere over his increasingly autocratic actions.

The powerful Turkish leader of 11 years blames his troubles on a plot by an exiled rival with influence in the police and courts, Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen.

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said he had urged the Turkish leader “not to backtrack on achievements and to assure that the judiciary is able to function without discrimination or preference, in a transparent and impartial manner”.

Erdogan’s AKP party had initially called for the government to appoint members of the HSYK, but it later revised the proposals, suggesting instead that they be appointed by MPs in accordance with their parties’ representation in parliament.AFP